The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2

"If you want to know how MGS2 development progressed, this if for you!"

Back in Fall 2001, Konami released Metal Gear Solid 2 for the Sony PlayStation 2. It was such a thrilling game that the fans wonder how Hideo Kojima and his team started development. So they listened to you, and they decided to make a documentary to show you what over 3 years of hard work really means.

Metal Gear Solid 2 developed and published by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan.
Documentary compiled by Konami Corporation.
Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Only available for Sony PlayStation 2.

Features
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Basically, there are 5 random VR missions from the game MGS2: Substance, character models, polygon demos, and more. The polygon demos are all the cutscenes from the game except without sound. The cool thing is that you can pause the scenes and move it around in full 3-D. The character models are the same, in which they are shown in 3-D and you can move around their body from tons of different angles. There are other models as well. And of course, there are various pictures of Konami Eyes(the girly posters).

There is also the entire game script and planning documents written in Japanese. So if you don't know how to read Japanese, then you need to learn to do so if you really want to read it. Then, there is a list of dates in which how the game progressed. They started in 1998 and worked their way up to Fall 2001. Yes, they started before MGS1/PlayStation 2 was released. There are more features than just the ones mentioned above, you just have to browse the entire DVD to see through everything.

Graphics & Sound
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In 2001, MGS2 had cutting-edge graphics and visual effects ever to be utilized on the Sony PlayStation 2. The graphics in the documentary are pretty much the same. There are various music tracks from the game you can hear. These tracks are from Harry-Gregson Williams as he composed one of the coolest soundtracks for a cutting-edge game. Konami sure picked the right person. And in fact, he's also composing for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Replay Value/Buy or Rent
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Heh, there is no replay value. Don't forget that it's a documentary, not a game! Just the 5 ''quite challenging'' VR missions is the only replay you'll ever get out of this. The rest are just browsing the DVD and playing around with the models and polygon demos. Not bad for a $19.99 price though. This will take quite a while to get through the whole DVD.

As said, it's only $20, you can't miss it. With the exception of Europeans(if you are one, your copy should be included with Sons of Liberty), buy it. Find a preowned copy somewhere like in EBX, as it goes for about $15. If you manage to get a copy out there, save the game as you progress through the VR missions so you can use it for MGS2: Substance(PS2 version) to unlock everything except the dog tags and special items.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/13/03, Updated 06/13/03